A protest was held outside the Foxtons branch in Brixton at the weekend.
The event, which aimed to highlight the impact of soaring house and rental prices on the community, was organised by a group called OurBrixton, led by rapper Potent Whisper.
Demonstrators stood outside Foxtons holding banners that said “Social housing not social cleansing” and carried blankets and pillows.
Potent Whisper went inside the Foxtons office and lay down underneath the adverts for million-pound houses in Brixton.
He said the protest was “to highlight the displacement and homelessness caused by high rents”.
He added: “We’re here to be peaceful. We just want to highlight the issues that people in Brixton are facing.”
Police arrived but made no arrests and did not break up the protest.
It is not the first time that Foxtons in Brixton has been targeted by protesters – who dislike the “gentrification” of the area – after the branch opened in March in 2013.
A couple of months later it hired bouncers to keep protesters out. The branch has also been targeted by vandals painting graffiti on its windows, including “Yuppies out” messages.
Comments (39)
No doubt it was all at the back of our minds that this could get nasty as it apparently did yesterday – but certainly (and unfortunately) one of our respected posters nailed it on the day this story broke.
There is always an element that will join a “peaceful protest” with no other motive than to cause disruption – a word that when used by alternative models to describe what they plan to cause to our industry pales completely into insignificance compared to mindless destruction of property or worse.
Beggars belief that Estate Agents risk the wrath of violent crowds – seemingly intent on causing damage (thankfully in this instance only to property) – simply by turning up at their place of work.
One thing that the protesters don’t seem to have grasped is that if an area is popular, which Brixton is, then the price is going to increase as demand increases.
Here I am, joining the party a little late and find that I’ve been beaten to the punchline again. Serves me right. Doesn’t stop me posting what I should have posted yesterday.
“…I stand by my comment about people skills, having worked with Agents for the last 4 years and speaking to them daily I have first hand experience of the rudeness and ignorance from this industry…”
Well, Sir – if your public persona is anything whatsoever similar to your keyboard bashing, Agent-baiting ‘bryterlayter’ character I find it not in the least surprising that you get the thin end of the wedge from some of those whose paths cross yours. At least on here you only get a well-earned slating – no fear of a black eye or bl00dy nose.
Unfortunately for your street cred, your final (wishful thinking?) words to smile please disclose your inability to sustain an argument. In reality you had lost the battle you waged long before your petulant outburst to him – even the mysterious post of no substance to Robert May came well after you pressed the self-destruct button on your attempts to hijack the thread.
You really need to reassess your claim of being a ‘disruption’. The simple truth is that it’s been another round of “more of the usual” – you blend in nicely with a bunch of blowhards that like to chuck a lit firework into a room and run off laughing like demented hyenas.
In fairness, you provided some minor amusement yesterday (although clearly far less than PacMan putting in a guest appearance on Google…) – useful as practice material for dealing with those that seem to aspire to become professional whingers – but precious little more than that, I’m afraid.
Well it’s a nice change seeing so many comments on a story that’s not about the portals and also a warm welcome back to @bryterlayter and their excellent, open minded views on the issue that encompass such a good degree of acceptance that others have a different view to them.
Anyway, 12 lads rock up at Foxtons for a bit of old fashioned agent bothering and fair enough, free country and all that, there has been estate agents in Brixton since you could buy a detached house for £100 so I dont know why it’s taken them so long? Regardless, nice bit of PR for Foxtons and the property owners of Brixton – Jonnie
Poor old GPL got a bit of stick for not instantly twigging the Crowdfund April Fool, it seems this particular protest was a result of this merry bunch not twigging that rumours that Foxtons had taken over the management of all social housing in Brixton was also issued on 1st April.
In the interests of political correctness Jonnie, at least 3 of those lads are ladies. You have had to look up big words only too recently, we don’t need a repeat of that!
On a lighter note a google maps search of Brixton has thrown up someone at Google has added Pacman functionality- Why is beyond me but a great distraction from copy writing tooltips!
There must be an election looming with a party that’s picking on a certain industry.
“And it’s Foxton’s fault because?” Because some of these campaigners can’t separate estate agency from house ownership. Their message – for what its worth – would be better placed by holding their demonstration outside the houses themselves not the office trying to sell them.
And it’s Foxton’s fault because?
wow! Do you know what’s more irritating? Smug, pompous idiots like you.
They protested peacefully about one of the biggest problems affecting society today, but apparently they are all dole scroungers who should get a job!
No the biggest problem in society is people thinking benefits is a career choice.
I don’t work in Brixton but guess the prices are well above national average, if you cannot afford to live there look at moving like many others do instead of expecting me and other hard working people to subsides them.
There aren’t many careers that offer free rent, free council tax, free NHS perscriptions, plenty of free time to do cash in hand work and a 60% reduced purchase price off of your home when you want to buy it.
As careers go, it doesn’t seem a particularly bad choice to be honest.
Do you know these people? Do you know where they work? Or are you making assumptions because they mostly young living in an area that has incredible high rents and property prices, with people being FORCED OUT of their current residence to make way for whiter/richer people?
I do live in the local area, you should really try and look at some figures regarding the percentage of money actually spent on unemployment benefit and not just make assumptions about people.
The biggest problem in society is the push to make more and more money from housing, something that everyone requires, all the construction around Brixton is certainly not being built for social housing reasons…
The new generation are taking over, they do not want homes for millionaires, they KNOW that benefits are not the problem despite various media pushing that. Soon you will realise that you are a dinosaur and the vast majority of people are infact a lot better educated on the subject then you are, maybe then you will stop shouting the loudest and we can actually do something to help everyone in this country and not just the privileged.
Nice racist comment regarding ‘Whiter / richer people’ – Who cares what colour they are if they can afford it?
People are being forced out as you put it because they do not have the skill set to get a job that pays enough to afford the rent.
Its life choices. Some people want all the money and all the trappings that come with it such as a house without working for it.
Whats wrong with making money from housing? I know of many people that have purchased their local autority house for a fraction of its price and then sold it! – THATS WRONG!
Don’t look at percentages as figures can be fudged and that is what you are doing, Look at the millions of pounds spent instead.
As for the ‘New Generation’ taking over it shows the lack of work ethic and and hard work people have. Benefits should be cut to just those that cannot work or those that have fallen on hard times as a source to help pick them up.
It should not include those that want to fund a lifestyle of little or no work.
Now, now, smile please – this chap is right and everyone else is wrong – simple as. Best accept it and move on, I reckon.
Jonnie has already identified, handed out the name-badge and business cards, and duly pigeon-holed this chap back in February – and I quote:
” Eye has its own in house ‘Diversity & Equality Outreach Coordinator so that’s nice”
Sorry but Benefits really upset me.
Whatever happened to work hard and save, I would love to live in Richmond but i cannot afford what i want there so i live elsewhere in the country!
I’ll take you up on each point directly…
Nice racist comment regarding ‘Whiter / richer people’ – Who cares what colour they are if they can afford it?
I’m white, however Brixton is a multiethnic community, with a large percentage of its population being of African and Caribbean descent. These are the people being forced out of the houses to make way for city boys. – The actual point here is that the reason Brixton is great is because of all the different cultures in the area coming together each bringing something to the table, I don’t believe that the rich who come into the town because of the trendy restaurants etc bring anything.
People are being forced out as you put it because they do not have the skill set to get a job that pays enough to afford the rent.
They don’t have the skill set? Unlike the very specific set of skills that you require to become an Estate Agent straight from school?
Its life choices. Some people want all the money and all the trappings that come with it such as a house without working for it.
Some people do want that – But the people that I am talking about are the people that have been living in the same place for years and are priced out of the area because a company had decided that it would be a great place to make some more money without adding anything to the community.
Whats wrong with making money from housing? I know of many people that have purchased their local autority house for a fraction of its price and then sold it! – THATS WRONG!
Sorry not a capitalist so I believe there is more to life then making money. I don’t think there is anything wrong with making a profit, however I would like to see profits put back into the local area and ensuring that housing is provided for all, not just for some.
Don’t look at percentages as figures can be fudged and that is what you are doing, Look at the millions of pounds spent instead.
Ok, I believe just under 17bn is spent on housing benefit compared with 4.9bn on unemployment. Also most people claiming housing benefit will already be in work. So what does that tell you? That the housing situation in this country is being addressed accordingly? Or is that a statement you use so that you don’t have to back up any of your ramblings?
As for the ‘New Generation’ taking over it shows the lack of work ethic and and hard work people have. Benefits should be cut to just those that cannot work or those that have fallen on hard times as a source to help pick them up. It should not include those that want to fund a lifestyle of little or no work.
See above, most claimants of benefits are already in work.
And a bonus answer for you:
I would love to live in Richmond but i cannot afford what i want there so i live elsewhere in the country!
You’ve missed the point, these people already live in the area, have done for generations and are now being forced out. Not the same as wanting to move to a desirable area and not being able to afford it.
And that’s the problem, i look at your response and to me its a massive chip on your shoulder that you cant have what you want.
Couple points i will pull you up on though, not all City Boys as you call them are white (a lot of our best bankers are from other countries).
As for skill sets and estate agents, its not as easy as you may think and if it is that easy why not get a job as one and then you can afford to live where you desire.
As for not being a capitalist maybe you should be then you maybe able to afford where you want to live.
As for 17 billion spent on housing you think that’s not enough?!?
I’m not the one who wants it though – I’m quite happy where I live, working happily in a job that pays more than what I need that requires a skill set that I have built up over my education/working career.
The point i was alluding to was the entry point for the Estate Agency industry does not require any skills – of course to be successful you must have some (although people skills do seem to be lacking from the vast amount of agents i’ve dealt with personally)
Obviously I know that not all city workers are white – However I’m talking from first hand experience from living in the area and talking to people who have been affected. I know the people who are being pushed out and I have seen the people that have moved to the place in recent years.
17bn is a huge amount, but mostly going to people in work – which shows we have a problem that needs to be addressed and the way to do that is not by building luxury apartments.
I’m not actually thinking about myself. I’m thinking about other people who are not as privileged as I am. Which may seem hard to comprehend I guess…
I appreciate your desire to remain private but are you able to say how you have practically used your privileged position to help others or is your campaigning purely internet based?
There is a charity called Hands On London, they deal with a wide range of issues and I volunteer for them at regular opportunities.
Genuinely, Good work, well done! What about offering a seat at your dinner table or a bed for the night?
It is far too easy to condemn agents, they are the public face of wealth & privilege, by definition agents for those that own or have.
Whilst you might be correct that Agency requires no formal academic qualification you are failing to give credit for the honesty and integrity required to be an agent worthy of a client’s trust.
Although EYE and EAT don’t tend to cover the charity efforts of agents as much as they could my experience of Estate Agents and Property Managers indicate they are by nature charitable and although the press will occasionally find a rotten apple they are a profession that deserve far greater credit and respect than your posting on here suggest they should have.
I can, with honest conviction, say that if Agents were running the Housing or Communities and Local Government departments of government there would not be a housing crisis.
It isn’t too difficult to work out your political bent, even if I am wrong I am happy to claim that it is misplaced in regards to housing our nation. People’s homes should be apolitical and it is a subject that demands a consistent long term strategy rather than political bias and point scoring.
As ridiculous a response as I would expect from you Robert, and that is from working indirectly with you in the past and reading your comments here.
I know some agents do charity work too – however I stand by my comment about people skills, having worked with Agents for the last 4 years and speaking to them daily I have first hand experience of the rudeness and ignorance from this industry, my experience when selling a property has been different though – strange that…
Curious to know which political bent you think that i’m following? Clue: its not Lab/Con/Lib/UKIP or any regional party.
Anyways – my work here as done, just wanted to disrupt the opinion given by Smile Please that people protesting (ON A BANK HOLIDAY WEEKEND) don’t have a job because it was unfounded and ridiculous.
unfounded and ridiculous that i suggest they do not have jobs….. Okay well out of the 12 individuals pictured, how many have real jobs – By the way i dont accept “Professional Rapper” as a job – I mean 9-5 5 days a week as a minimum!
Which bit is ridiculous?
Smile Please – the point is you don’t know either, you’re making assumptions based on how they look?
Professional – engaged in a specified activity as one’s main paid occupation rather than as an amateur.
By definition – he has a job, it may not quite be as well respected as Sales Negotiator, however if we were all the same the world would be a very boring place.
Speaking as a part time musician – it is not possible to make a living from this work, and requires motivation and dedication to something without a regular pay.
Not sure how many estate agents would work for free because they love it so?
Well you are making my point for me!
I love playing football manager in my spare time but if i did it too much i could not afford to live…. I suggest some of the “Workers” look at what they do and see if they can live as oppose us to pay for them because they do not want to grow up.
No I’m not – you don’t know these people, you don’t know if they work, you are not in the position to make these assumptions.
Yeah you seem like the sort of person that wastes their live in that – you stick with it mate, those skills really impress the ladies, make great conversation in the pub with your mates.
It’s not the same though, musicians create – you play.
Enjoy your idiot life.
Ha ha,
Cant express yourself so get defensive and stroppy.
I have impressed a lady enough to marry me and have children, btw she is a fantastic woman one most can only dream of.
My mates take in the football regulary and enjoy each others company at the pub, not scrounging about for a pint or bum a smoke
musicians create? – well some do others think they do which is why they should get a REAL job.
Enjoy the life that me and my colleagues pay for – Scrounger.
It would be really interesting to know where you think you and I have worked together, even indirectly. The only place it could be would put you in such a difficult position with your employer your open distain for Agent customers might make your privileged position very much less privileged.
Working for nothing, as I have been effectively retired for the past 6 years that is exactly what I have been doing.
Working for the greater good of society? At my own expense I have been trying to instigate an additional 100,000 assisted tenancies for those caught between the social rented system and the PRS, those who face far greater life challenges than those with apparent greater need; those people working temporary contracts or working zero hours contracts.
I really do suggest you work out who the enemy is before firing off all cylinders at anyone who dares to challenge your very narrow outlook.
At least its you getting hard time for a comment this time SP! But to be fair I can understand the issue: years ago Brixton was a low priced London area many of these protesters would have been born in the area, gone to school there, all their friends there etc. Then simply because it was “another” London borough that was well positioned it became a popular choice for city workers and prices rocketed. Now if you want to live there you have to be in the top 5% of salaries in the country. Its hard to accept I suspect but I think the message they want to get across is not that prices should be pushed down, more perhaps that more housing is given over to social to allow families to stay in the areas in which they were born. I get that.
I make no apologies for my comments stand by them 100%
Social housing is a joke, its given away to the majority of feckless individuals who expect it as opposed to those that need it.
I also don’t hear too many of the individuals that bought their social housing with a large discount and then sell it on a massive profit complaining much about the regeneration…..
But thats an issue with how its distributed not that its needed. After all whats the alternative: push everyone out of London who earns less than £80K a year and for those earning less than £25K we will find them a little part of the country they can all move to?! I’m no socialist but there do need to be alternatives.
All getting a bit political ….
But, Yes i agree with you that distribution is the issue problem is successive governments have been far too liberal with benefits and awarding them.
I have no problem with an individual wanting to make their way in life and being given a helping hand or somebody that is not able to work.
Problem i have is that far too many seem to be individuals who do not want to work or only work at certain jobs, individuals having babies just so they get a house or bigger house. Now some of the unwashed that turned up for the protest will say this is the minority when in fact you can see it is the majority.
Well I’m not going to disagree there is a lot of abuse and its that I suspect sticks in the throat but it is an issue and people in London and some of our expensive areas will notice it soon enough when they can’t get anyone to travel an hour to work in a supermarket or petrol station or have no one to work in local hospitals etc…..but as you say its maybe a bit of a hardcore debate for an estate agents online publication!
Smile, potent whisper is a professional rapper, it says so in the article ….
And…… Are you trying to say because he is ‘Professional’ he is successful, just googled him, does not look like he is…..
Here’s a thought, instead of putting all your effort into campaigning go and get a job! Really irratating that people that work hard to better themselves are penalised and rounded upon by those that want an easy life.
Yeah, stick it to all those (generally young) people not earning more off house price appreciation… Should those with “lazy” property income and wealth also get a job to better themselves? Or are they just better?
By the way, which has the easy life: the young paying record rent:income ratios, or landlords?